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Encourage Authentic Writing With #WhatIWrite and #NaNoWriMo

Jennifer AnsbachFinished novels written by students in Jennifer Ansbach’s class during National Novel Writing Month.

Updated | Oct. 18, 2012

#WhatIWrite

If you’ve been reading this blog for a while now, you may remember that last year at this time we were enthusiastic participants in a collaborative push to get as many people as possible to take to Twitter on Oct. 20, the annual National Day on Writing, and post messages with the hashtag #WhyIWrite.

Thousands did, and it was a thrilling and memorable day for us, as students, teachers, novelists, poets, historians, journalists, comedians and ordinary citizens of all kinds posted thoughts to a vigorous stream.

So, of course, we’re doing it again, except this time our wise collaborator, The National Writing Project, suggested that the hashtag be #WhatIWrite, and that, because Oct. 20 is a Saturday, the day to post to Twitter be Friday, Oct. 19.

#NaNoWriMo

We also want to highlight another idea for student writing today, with a guest post from a teacher named Jennifer Ansbach who, for the last seven years, has had her students participate in November’s National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo, as the cool kids call it), which provides teachers with resources to teach novel writing in the classroom through its Young Writers Program.

One of the nine experts who weighed in included a high school student, Julia Fox, who wrote about her NaNoWriMo experience, contrasting writing a novel with preparing for standardized tests:

My English teacher opened a door for me to express my passion for writing this past year in a way that might not have been possible if we focused only on the year-end tests. My classmates and I wrote novels in our English class for National Novel Writing Month. Through this program, which had my entire class intrigued, we learned how to develop a plot, build character descriptions and foreshadow, through writing our novels. It felt like we, the students, were in control, even though we were being guided by our teacher.

She tossed all of the planned curriculum out the window for the month of November. Throughout the month, she informally assessed us and guided us in the right direction. She had us write our novels in Google documents so she could check our writing without collecting it. By the time we finished, we had improved dramatically.

When the state tests came around, I was more confident than ever about taking those tests. Even though we had never picked up our big English textbooks we still learned the essential skills needed to do well on the test. I was more confident because, through this different way of learning, I found that I was more motivated to understand than from a book. Also, I will remember all of these writing skills much longer. I liked this new way of learning better because I actually wrote a novel, instead of just answering a multiple choice question on writing one.

Though Ms. Fox had a different teacher, Jennifer Ansbach’s students would likely agree with much of what she wrote. Below, she explains how NaNoWriMo “changed lives.”

“We’re going to do WHAT?”: How NaNoWriMo Has Changed the Lives of Over 700 of My Students

By Jennifer Ansbach

Jennifer AnsbachKenny Maushardt works on his novel in Ms. Ansbach’s 2008 English class.

Asking high school juniors to write a novel is no easy task. Many feel the task overwhelming and don’t see themselves as writers. When I tell them they can tell me any story they want and write with headphones on, though, they start to come around.

Some of last year’s students say NaNoWriMo gave them confidence: Now, when they look at a task like calculus or applying to college, they remember they wrote an entire novel in a month, and they know they can do this, too.

Others say it was amazing to have a voice, to get to explore ideas in their own head and get to sit with their own thoughts day after day. Teenagers don’t get much solitude in the digital world, and being unplugged from social media to discover what they think is freeing for many of them.

In 2007, I started teaching in a new school, and after a month of playing it cool, I approached my then-assistant principal with my new BIG IDEA.

“I think all my students should write novels in the month of November,” I said.

This fall I am leading more than 100 high school juniors through NaNoWriMo again. These are mixed-ability general education classes. The students know by now that when they see my name on their schedule, they will be writing a novel. And by the end of the year, nearly all will say it was their favorite part of the year.

In October, we plan. We talk about character, and we start to brainstorm character ideas. We talk about settings and generate lots of places where our stories could take place. We make lists of books and movies and video games we love and what we love about them. We make lists of things we don’t like so much and why they don’t captivate us. We play “What if?” games and discuss the “big ideas” of stories, and then, once November rolls around, we write.

We write in class every day. Class starts with a mini-lesson on some element of writing — sometimes basic (characterization or metaphor), and sometimes more complicated (repetition for effect). Then, with headphones on, if we choose, we write. While students are writing, I meet with them individually for coaching and feedback. Nothing is marked wrong. Students who have mastered concepts are given more advanced ways to use these concepts. Students who are struggling are given more opportunities to practice those skills as part of the continuing story they are writing.

What feels overwhelming before we begin is chunked into shorter, attainable goals. Write 750 words during class time. Write 500 words at home. Run out of ideas? There are idea generators, pep talks, challenges, and suggestions posted on bulletin boards and on the whiteboard, many provided by the NaNoWriMo Young Writers Program site, which also gives away classroom kits that include a progress chart, buttons and motivational stickers to teachers.

And there’s always my fallback: kill someone. In your novel, that is. Create more conflict. Let your other characters grieve and move on, piecing together the lives you created for them.

Ultimately, students will create not only a final novel (our goal is 40,000 words, which is preposterous — and exactly why we make it our ridiculous goal) but also a summary document that shows off their best examples of each of the mini-lessons and explains how they know it is a strong example. And yes, it takes a month, but I read every one because I love to see what my students think about.

But that’s not even what matters. What matters most is that in 30 days, my students start to see themselves as real writers. They do the real work of real writers, struggling to get words on the page, ideas into words, vague images into concrete ideas. They see the word count pile up as we check in with each other, posting our word count totals. We tally how many words we’ve written as a class and as a composite of all my classes.

We start to see each other differently, too: the students who create the best stories aren’t necessarily the ones who are seen as the “best” students. In fact, many years they are surprised to discover the hidden storytelling talent of their peers. Some of the book ideas could easily be revised and submitted for publication — they are that good. And the confidence you get from knowing you can achievable a lofty goal? There’s no substitute for it. Teenagers know the difference between empty praise and real praise they’ve earned, and when they accomplish their novels, they don’t even need to be praised to feel good about themselves.

Each year, a handful of students “win” NaNoWriMo by surpassing the 50,000-word mark (the amount set for adult writers) before midnight on Nov. 30. The reality is, all of them win in extra instructional and coaching time, enhanced writing practice and skills, and an amazing feeling of accomplishment.

Without NaNoWriMo and the Young Writers Program, I would never have thought to bring them all on the journey. Thank you to the Office of Letters and Light for helping me change so many lives, one word at a time.

its great and all for students. but it seems like anything that is challenging and fun is catered for people under a certain age. From learning about space with NASA to writing like Nanowrimo. where is the stuff for ‘everyone’? just because you’re older doesn’t make you any less creative or interested and i think older ‘student’s should have an opportunity to be heard as well.

Fear not!
Although Ms. Ansbach uses the Young Writers Component of NaNoWriMo for her classes, National Novel Writing Month is not just a student project. Writers of all ages and experiences levels dive into the project. This iIS the stuff for everyone!

On their website, they claim NaNoWriMo is “a novel-writing program for everyone who has thought fleetingly about writing a novel but has been scared away by the time and effort involved.”

You can create an account, log your progress, connect with other writers, and browse resources. “If you write 50,000 words of fiction by midnight, local time, November 30th, you can upload your novel for official verification, and be added to our hallowed Winner’s Page and receive a handsome winner’s certificate and web badge”.

Students get a grade for amount of writing they do weekly, a grade for the total, and then the more important grade is the summary document they create where they show their best example of each of the minilessons I taught and how they know it is a strong example.

What a fantastic day in history, one where everyone can come together for the sake of writing. Writing is a beautiful thing, and the spectrum of it is eternal. Writing, is an escape for many people who are struggling to keep up, a chance to just let loose and tell the story you want. Personally, I love to write short stories of any kind. I love creating a story in my mind and seeing what I can do to tweak and make it better.

If I was to give some advice about writing, I would say to be confident in your own work. If you have a good idea for a story or essay, write it. You can mold it into a work of art. Remember, you are an original. Also, be very descriptive in your writing and use imagery and figurative language to paint a picture for the reader. However, you must catch the reader’s interest and keep them entertained. I hope this helps